Enjoy Your Stay

You open your eyes. You are looking up at the sky and see white clouds scattered across a pale blue background. Something’s wrong…you shake your head and look down to see that you are bleeding as the effects of momentary shock wear off. Tilting your head around you see others lying in pools of blood; some crying in pain, others staring up at that same blue sky with lifeless expressions. Memories of recent events flood into your mind and you see the flare of gunfire and the panic of innocent victims running in terror. It was just a short time ago but now seems like a lifetime away as a cold feeling begins to creep under your skin. “My son, my daughter…where are they?!” you scream out in your mind but it comes out as only a gasp barely audible in the ensuing chaos. You try desperately to stand but fall back down and roll slightly to one side and see every member of your family lying quietly next to you. A single tear rolls down your cheek and before you can even feel the first pangs of grief your mind goes blank and the cold feeling envelops you.

What you didn’t have time to think of before that last moment are the events that led up to your tragic death. You were at the local elementary school. You were there to pick up your kids with your wife. Walking across the parking lot you were greeted by a teacher and your children ran over to join you. As you exchanged idle conversation with the teacher and your wife, across from you, in the background, some maniac with intentions unknown pulled two semi automatic pistols from a backpack and began firing into a crowd of nearby students. Instinctively, you ducked to the ground trying to grab for your children. You reached for something just then…wait its not there…with sudden horror it dawns on you that you left your gun at home because this was a school and as everyone knows you aren’t allowed to have guns there. So, like a good law abiding citizen you voluntarily disarmed to comply with the law and went off to pick up the kids. After all, what could happen? Immediately, after you reached for the non-existent sidearm you began to see the crazed individual turn toward you and begin firing. The teacher was first to go and then as a smile widened across a disturbed face you felt two hammering blows hit you in the chest.